Argentine scientists have identified 57 previously unknown marine species and five new genera during a deep-sea expedition in the Mar del Plata submarine canyon, the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) said on Thursday.

The samples were collected on the "Slope 4" expedition, and it took more than a year to analyse and classify them, CONICET said.

The researchers identified 57 species that may be new to science – preliminary findings that include 20 copepods, 22 echinoderms, 14 cnidarians and one scaphopod mollusk. Five new genera of corals, sea cucumbers and crustaceans also turned up.

Among the discoveries is a deep-sea cucumber dubbed "Loki," after the Norse god, for its horn-like appendages. It's pictured above.

The "Slope 4" expedition ran for 21 days from July 23. Researchers from several Argentine universities and scientific institutions surveyed the canyon from a research vessel, using underwater exploration equipment.